Healthy Dan Wheeler has been spot on for Sox

By TIM BRITTON | | Journal Sports Writer

Saturday

Aug 20, 2011 at 7:46 PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Location, location, location.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Location, location, location.

The tenets of real estate and those of relief pitching -especially when you don't throw much above 90 mph - are essentiallythe same. It's a lesson Dan Wheeler was forced to re-learn during adifficult stretch in April this season.

Carl Crawford wasn't the only former Tampa Bay Ray to strugglein his first month in Boston. Wheeler, too, got off to adisappointing start with his new team, posting an 11.32 ERA in hisfirst 11 appearances through May 4. It was at that point thatWheeler hit the disabled list with a calf injury.

Once he came back, he's been every bit the Dan Wheeler the RedSox thought they were getting from Tampa Bay.

Since May 21, Wheeler's ERA is 1.52 over 29 2/3 innings.Opposing hitters are batting a paltry .179 against him. He's struckout 24 and walked just seven in that time.

"I'm probably going to say the same thing I've always beensaying and it definitely holds true: I've just been able to locatebetter," Wheeler said on Saturday. "When you don't tend to makegood pitches and you're not throwing 100 - that's not an excuse,that's just what it is - you miss over the middle of the plate,big-league hitters are going to get you."

That was the case in April. Although Wheeler was throwingstrikes with his fastball, he was leaving it in the middle of theplate. He couldn't spot his secondary pitches in the zone either,throwing his splitter for a strike half the time and his curveballfor one barely 30 percent of the time.

The result was a slew of home runs - four in just 10 1/3innings. Wheeler had allowed all of seven home runs in 2010 forTampa Bay.

Struggling at any point is hard on a relief pitcher. Strugglingin the first month can wreck your statistics for much of theseason. Struggling in the first month on a new team can wreck yourrole and the manager's trust in you.

That's what made April particularly hard on Wheeler.

"Obviously, coming in new, you want to make a good firstimpression," said Wheeler. "Being on the team, it's not like theydon't know who I've been the last couple years. You still want toget off to a good start anytime. It was unfortunate. I've justworked every day to turn it around."

Wheeler has done that by rediscovering his characteristicallyprecise command. He himself says the stat he concentrates on themost isn't ERA so much as strike percentage. He takes special pridein limiting his walks and controlling the zone, which he's doingmore of now with his non-fastball pitches. Since returning from thedisabled list, Wheeler has thrown 73.9 percent of his cutters forstrikes, 76.9 percent of his curveballs for strikes and 81.3percent of his splitters for strikes. That command has allowed himto regain his form as an unpredictable right-hander out of thebullpen.

"He's really a reliever that can pitch backwards," pitchingcoach Curt Young said. "He keeps the hitters in a guesssituation."

Wheeler's curve has been of particular importance. He didn'trecord a single swing-and-miss on his curve in the first month ofthe season. But since late May, he's getting whiffs on the pitchover one-quarter of the time he throws it. When hitters swing atWheeler's curveball, they miss it three out of four times.

"It just gives them something else to think about," Wheelersaid. "It just puts in the back of their mind something offspeedbecause my fastball and cutter are so close in speed, so it kind ofgives them something to slow them down a little bit."

Young credits Wheeler's experience with helping him through thattough stretch in April. Having a long track record of success, andwithin the division, meant the reliever never lost hisself-confidence.

"It's the whole name of the game, especially for a reliever.They're going to be in and impacting possibly three or four games aweek. You really can't let one stick with you good or bad. You'regoing to be tested on an everyday basis," Young said. "He's beenaround so long, and he's a guy that can bounce back if somethingdoesn't go right. He's been out there enough and he understandskind of the cliché it's a new day, turn the page. He's goingto do what he does and he does it well."

tbritton@projo.com

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